51 Chapter 51 – Fated Confrontation

~ A Short Time Later: Gizard Wasteland ~

The wind swept through the barren landscape, tousling the distinctive spiky hair of both Saiyan warriors. Positioned upon an elevated outcropping, Vegeta stood casually, casting an arrogant gaze downward at Goku from his vantage point. With arms crossed and an air of relaxed confidence, he awaited Goku to complete his stretching routine.

"Did you know, Kakarot," Vegeta remarked with a sly smirk, "that your father, Bardock, stood as the sole Saiyan in recorded history to claw his way from low-class to the esteemed echelons of the elite class? Quite the anomaly, I must say." Vegeta's eyes gleamed with both mockery and acknowledgment. "And here you stand, the second in history to achieve the same after your old man. I suppose some congratulations are in order, for crawling your way up to a league beneath my own."

Goku's eyes widened ever so slightly at the unexpected revelation about his family. The fact that Vegeta knew about his father caught him off guard. Raditz hadn't mentioned that when they had briefly spoken in the otherworld.

Vegeta, reveling in the satisfaction of breaking Kakarot's composure even the slightest bit, uncrossed his arms and taunted, "You know, the brat who managed to defeat Nappa was oh-so confident in your prowess. He spoke with such certainty, claiming that I was destined to lose against you. Just excessive faith, if you ask me."

"His faith is not misplaced. I will," Goku declared, his voice carrying a quiet determination.

"I'm eager to see how you can possibly," Vegeta's sneer deepened as he assumed an aggressive combat stance. "You're not weak, Kakarot, I can concede that much. However, you'll soon learn of the cruel reality. While you are just now approaching your father's prime, understand this–I had surpassed him when I was but a child. We are fundamentally different, you and I. There was a reason why I am royalty, while you were cast away to a distant planet as a mere babe."

"You are right, Vegeta. We are different. However, the true difference between us is that you've spent your time fighting those weaker than you, while I've spent my time confronting those stronger than me." Goku assumed his defensive combat stance. "You fight to destroy, Vegeta. I fight to protect."

Vegeta scrutinized Goku, narrowing his eyes. "You've changed. You are no longer the immature imbecile you were a year ago with Raditz."

Vegeta received only silence.

A moment pregnant with anticipation passed by as Goku and Vegeta faced each other, the sound of the wind's haunting howls filling the space between them. Suddenly, the tranquility shattered as the two Saiyan powerhouses vanished from their respective rocky outcrops, colliding in a flurry of rapid movements and energy blasts.

In their wake, the pillars that had stood proudly for millions of years shattered and crumbled under their power, casting debris in all directions.

~ After Goku's Departure: Wasteland ~

"You're all screwed when Vegeta takes out Kakarot!"

"Yes, I'm sure all of your dreams will come true if you just say it a few more times!" Piccolo scoffed, his demeanor shifting as he menacingly stalked toward Nappa, baring his teeth. It need not be said, but he, of all people, was no saint.

As Piccolo closed in on Nappa, Ajax assertively intervened, stepping into the path of the advancing Namekian. Placing one hand firmly on his hip, Ajax gave Piccolo a pointed look.

"I wasn't going to kill him." With a scowl, Piccolo forcefully shoved Ajax aside, striding past him and continuing his approach towards Nappa.

Nappa observed Piccolo's advance with a bland expression, revealing little emotion or information. "Friendly reminder that there are other things you cannot do besides killing me."

Ignoring Nappa's words, Piccolo crouched beside the fallen Saiyan and firmly grasped Nappa's unbroken arm with both hands. He turned his head towards the Saiyan General with deliberate, agonizing slowness.

"Whatever agreements Goku had made has nothing to do with me," Piccolo said indifferently, an air of detachment about him as he applied pressure to Nappa's arm. Piccolo attempted but ultimately failed to hide the small smirk growing on his face. "Besides, I'm just a shit teacher, right?"

"Oh, you little–!" Nappa's frustrated cry was abruptly silenced by a sharp hiss as Piccolo began to forcefully jerk Nappa's remaining good arm in opposite directions.

"Uh, Mr. Piccolo, limbs aren't meant to bend like that–" Snap! Gohan winced at the crisp sound. "Well, now they do..."

To Nappa's credit, all that managed to escape him was a flinch and a grunt.

"A clean break at the forearm and a dislocation at the shoulder, just in case you entertain thoughts of rejoining the battle," Piccolo explained. With a calculated motion, Piccolo crossed Nappa's arms over his chest, rendering him almost like a mummy. He extended two fingers and a beam of energy shot out from his fingertips. In a dazzling burst of light, an oversized cast materialized around Nappa's arms and his back, rendering them utterly immobile by encasing them in a prison of mysterious fabric.

Then, Piccolo shot the same beams to the other Z Fighters, replacing their clothing as well. 

"F*ck you, but thanks for the cast, you dishonorable sack of shit," Nappa spat, his words muffled but still audible through his gritted teeth. Undeterred, Nappa wasted no time returning to the topic at hand. "Still doesn't change the undeniable fact that Kakarot's 9,000 can't even leave a scratch on Vegeta's 18,000."

However, immediately following Nappa's assertion, an immense power erupted in the distance. The energy surged rapidly, swiftly matching, then surpassing Vegeta's titanic power level. Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo instinctively snapped their heads toward the origin of this newfound energy.

Ajax, on the other hand, sported a knowing smirk. "Oh, Nappa, you sweet summer child. I wouldn't concern myself with that if I were you."

~ At the Same Time: Gizard Wasteland ~

"KAIO-KEN X3!!"

"Kaio-Ken WHAT?!" Vegeta's eyes bulged from the pressure as Goku's fist crashed thunderously into his stomach. Before the air could be fully expelled from his lungs, another devastating punch slammed into his cheek, sending him flying back. Immediately after, a third strike found its mark on his back, completely reversing his trajectory and propelling him backward through the air to where he came.

The endless barrage, multiplied by the might of Goku's Kaio-Ken, relentlessly slammed Vegeta back and forth through the air in an endless dance without reprieve. The sheer velocity and force of Goku's strikes left little room for him to even comprehend his body's position relative to his environment, let alone mount a counteroffensive. He felt like a goddamn pinball. Actually, no, even an actual pinball would not suffer this much, unless it was thrown by Recoome or something.

Finally, with a resounding boom, Vegeta collided with the cliffside, his body seamlessly embedding itself into the unyielding rock as if he had always been there. He cautiously reopened one eye, his vision blurry, a consequence of the punishing series of blows he endured. Coughing and gagging, he struggled to catch his breath within a him-sized cavity in this damn cliff.

As he panted, Vegeta's thoughts raced. Initially, he had dismissed the Kaio-Ken as some gimmick technique that temporarily amplified one's combat ability. Such techniques were a dime a dozen in the universe, and he had encountered his fair share during his extensive tenure as planet conqueror. The Oozaru, Nappa's Stormforged Mantle, and even that closet hermaphrodite Zarbon's revolting transformation all boosted combat abilities in a similar manner.

However, reality had proved to him that his initial assessment couldn't have been more wrong– this technique was anything but a gimmick; it was a legitimate goddamn multiplier! Every other technique came with drawbacks or uneven enhancements, but this thing uniformly elevated every relevant combat metric! What the actual f*ck! He cannot believe this crap, what kind of bullshit technique was an actual multiplier?

This revelation left Vegeta dumbfounded and seething with disbelief as he grappled with the sheer absurdity of this "Kaio-Ken." Did Kakarot invent such a technique? First, Bardock revolutionized Saiyan combat by perfecting the Power Ball, a feat that had stumped Saiyan scientists for generations, and now, his son started wielding a straight-up multiplier. What was with this family?

Vegeta's mind concocted a glorious reality visible only to him: where every Saiyan had unrestrained Oozaru transformations and access to this power multiplier. If these techniques had been made standard during the zenith of the Saiyan empire, they would have been beyond unstoppable. He was confident that even Frieza would have fallen before their might. Vegeta's heart jolted. Perhaps he really wasn– no, he was worthy of his title. He had to be. The strongest ruled and he was unquestionably the strongest.

With determination, Vegeta managed to lift his eyes and track Kakarot's position. The otherworldly crimson aura that once enveloped Kakarot had now sputtered out, leaving the low-class warrior panting like a dog. His muscles seemed to spasm erratically, presumably succumbing to the strain of the technique he had employed.

A metaphorical lightbulb went off in his mind as he witnessed Kakarot's physical state. The realization dawned on him–that Kakarot's unparalleled power did come at a cost. Silly him, of course, limitless power wasn't possible. The drawback in this case seemed apparent: the immense strain on the body from forcing it to channel more power than it could naturally withstand.

Excellent. Kakarot's impressive display of power had a built-in limitation and could not be maintained for long. Vegeta forcefully extricated himself from the Vegeta-sized crater in the cliff face and assumed a defensive stance with a confident smirk. The optimal strategy was clear; he would engage in a defensive battle and stall out Kakarot. The limitations of the Kaio-Ken would inevitably catch up to Kakarot sooner or later.

"KAIO-KEN X3!" Goku's distant roar echoed through the rocky wasteland, reaching Vegeta's ears. A vibrant crimson aura burst forth, enveloping the orange-clad warrior in its intense glow once more.

A split second later, Vegeta's well-laid plans scattered like dust in the wind. Before he could react, Goku's fist found its mark, burying itself into Vegeta's gut with a bone-jarring impact that sent spittle and blood erupting from his mouth as he shot backward. He clutched his stomach, glaring hatefully at his enemy. Okay, that was a mistake. What was he thinking, trying to stall? He had always been garbage at fighting defensively.

Vegeta wiped away the blood on his mouth as Kakarot vanished from his sight once more. He will bring down his adversaries through sheer force, as he'd always done. Vegeta spun around, evading a punch, and delivered a powerful blow to Kakarot's cheek, though the impact seemed to yield limited results.

In perfect synchrony, both warriors' punches landed within each other's stomachs. Immediately after, their fists simultaneously slammed into each other's cheeks, propelling both combatants backward in unison. They converged in mid-air once again, both hands tightly gripping each other as they fought for dominance. Gritting their teeth, both combatants exerted every ounce of physical might they could muster.

In an unexpected move, Goku extended his arms to the side, still holding Vegeta's hands firmly, and delivered a Kaio-Ken-enhanced headbutt to Vegeta. Staggering from the impact, Vegeta found himself vulnerable as Goku's legs lashed out like a whip, landing in Vegeta's gut and sending the Saiyan prince rocketing backward.

Vegeta's body crashed into a free-standing pillar, drilling into the rock and leaving a conspicuous hole before coming to a halt somewhere in the middle.

In the darkness, Vegeta brushed aside rocks and dust away from his face, his battered form sprawled amidst the debris within a cave of his own making. He stared into the darkness, almost peacefully. He could no longer deny it. Kakarot was not significantly inferior to himself. Had Kakarot wielded such a formidable technique in the Saiyan empire of old, he too would have been undoubtedly celebrated as a super elite– a once-in-multiple-generation caliber genius. Like Vegeta himself.

In fact, Kakarot might even have been deemed powerful enough for King Vegeta, Vegeta's father, to entertain the notion of making Kakarot quietly disappear on some distant planet on a mission gone wrong.

Vegeta ground his teeth at the thought. He was well aware that his father resorted to such measures to safeguard the legitimacy of the crown. Thanks to Nappa, he had learned that this shameless strategy had already been employed once before towards Paragus's son. But Vegeta was different from his father. The very idea of quietly disposing of a powerful warrior disgusted him, and his pride vehemently rejected such a cowardly act.

King Vegeta adhered to a simple philosophy– the King and the royal lineage must be the strongest, and any potential challengers must be swiftly eradicated. Without hesitation, his father wielded his power and authority as tools to ensure an unchallenged reign and maintain his supremacy. That was his father's limitation, the extent of his capabilities. As a consequence, the Saiyan empire crumbled under the weight of his father's inadequacies, ultimately resulting in their subjugation under King Cold, and later Frieza.

Unlike his father, Vegeta demanded from himself nothing less than perfection. He will become the strongest Saiyan, but not at the cost of his pride and not through some undeserved sense of entitlement. He would either transcend his own limits and attain unparalleled strength through his own merits, or he was unworthy of the title of King to begin with. He would sooner crush the crown beneath his foot than have it sit undeservingly on his head.

In his childhood, he had once screamed to the heavens, vowing to himself that he would become the mightiest Saiyan in history– surpassing even the Super Saiyan of legend. He would ascend to the throne as his people's rightful king and liberate them from the clutches of Frieza's tyranny.

This solemn pledge, shared with no one but himself, formed the bedrock of his aspirations—a silent pact between him and the destiny he sought to carve for himself into the annals of history.

That childhood vow had echoed through time and became the driving force that propelled Vegeta along his path of power. It was not a mere commitment; it was a pact etched into the very fabric of his being, a defining element of his identity. That vow was him, an inseparable part of who he was. And Vegeta? He would NEVER willingly break a vow. He would literally rather die.

However, reality was a cruel mistress. He had failed. He had broken his promise. The memory of his people's undignified demise haunted him, a disgraceful end devoid of ceremony, without burial, brought about by a meteor of all things. Even to this day, he would occasionally seclude himself and replay a data sonification of his planet and people's death screams on loop, captured in the form of cosmic radiation light-years away.

And every time, he would clench his fists so hard it drew blood. Over the years, the unholy cosmic screech had carved itself into his very soul, an effective reminder of the first vow he had ever broken in his life, his eternal disgrace. 

In the present moment, a strangled, self-deprecating laugh clawed its way out of Vegeta's throat, the bitter sound of an unresolved past. Even posthumously, he had been unable to protect his people, had yet to address their disgraceful demise, had yet to kill Frieza, and now, some low-class warrior came along out of literal nowhere and genuinely threatened to strip away the one remaining pillar of his identity–his claim to being the strongest Saiyan.

And to think, he had nearly let Kakarot succeed. For a moment, had he not shied away from the challenge? Had he not seriously contemplated letting Kakarot succumb to the strain of his own technique instead of pushing himself to ascend to greater heights? To overcome, to conquer, unlike his father? Vegeta's realization that he had come perilously close to breaking his promise again, even in spirit, ignited a raging inferno of fury within him.

Feeling the specters of his past failures looming over him, Vegeta clenched his teeth with such force that they almost cracked under the strain. What was even the point of his existence? What was he if not the strongest?

'Nothing! You're the Prince of Nothing!'' A poisonous whisper taunted him as it echoed in Vegeta's mind, sounding eerily like a blend of Frieza and his father.

No.

He was not.

As his pride teetered on the precipice, a burning rage began to course through Vegeta's veins, searing hot as it surged through him. He cannot accept this reality. He will not. He would not allow himself to break his vow again. His pride refuses it! He refuses it! Refuse! REFUSE! REFUSE!!!

The phantom sound of cosmic screeching filled his ears.

"AARRUUGGGHHH!!"

A primal roar that sounded more like an anguished scream erupted from the depths of Vegeta's being. The rock pillar, which had once confined him, began to fissure as he unleashed the entirety of his power. As Vegeta's energy expanded from him with unstoppable force, the rocky enclosure that surrounded him disintegrated into minuscule fragments, leaving only debris chaotically swirling in the air.

Ascending into the sky, Vegeta's silhouette became cloaked in the fierce embrace of purple lightning. Electric arcs arced and danced in chaotic harmony around him, the wind itself howled in his presence, and the atmosphere crackled, overcharged with the intensity of his aura. The world watched in awe as the Prince of All Saiyans poised himself for his mightiest attack.

"I admit it, Kakarot! You are strong!" Vegeta's frustrated voice reached across the battlefield. "But I will be stronger yet! Taste my full power and despair, knowing that I am still more powerful than you!"

Vegeta's hands came together as though cradling something sacred. Then, he swiftly brought his hands behind his back, his entire torso twisting and contorting. Following this fluid motion, a vibrant cascade of purple energy began to coalesce within Vegeta's hands. The ambient energy surrounding him obediently heeded his command, converging into a swirling vortex of scorching violet power.

Beneath Vegeta, Goku mirrored his opponent's intent on a rock pillar, hands resting on the side of his waist, ready to unleash his own signature attack. Though his mouth was pressed into a grim line, he showed no signs of backing down, especially not with the planet positioned in the line of fire behind him.

With almost bestial roars, Vegeta and Kakarot thrusted their hands forward, unleashing the embodiments of overwhelming pride and unyielding conviction. Between them, the manifestation of their ideology and identity clashed in a kaleidoscope of royal purple and azure blue.

And the world trembled in their wake.